- The implementation of these materials in the manufacture of electronic devices offers viable alternatives to conventional inorganic conductors and semiconductors, such as copper or silicon.
- Eurecat, coordinator of the MADRAS project, has presented the innovations at the LOPEC fair, the reference event in printed electronics held in Munich.
The Eurecat technology center coordinates the European MADRAS project, which has developed a prototype geolocation tag, a fingerprint detector and a solar module, using functional printing and new materials, which make this solution a sustainable alternative to the manufacture of these elements with copper or silicon.
The innovations, which have been presented at the LOPEC fair, the reference event in printed electronics held in Munich, incorporate a set of new functional inks and advanced substrates. For its production, a high-speed manufacturing methodology, known as in-mould electronics, has also been established, with optimised materials and improvements in conductivity and transparency.
The impact generated by the MADRAS project has contributed to “increasing the industrial competitiveness of European consumer electronics companies, providing them with a low-cost manufacturing process and an improvement in the useful life and processability of materials“, explains the MADRAS technical coordinator and researcher at Eurecat’s Functional Printing and Integrated Devices Unit, Laura López.
The implementation of these materials in the manufacture of electronic devices “offers viable alternatives to conventional inorganic conductors and semiconductors, such as copper or silicon, providing the resulting product with greater robustness, a reduction in costs and a reduced environmental impact“, he adds the technological promoter of the Unit of Functional Printing and Integrated Devices of Eurecat, Cristina Casellas.
Specifically, the developed materials consist of a sustainable nanocellulose substrate and different types of advanced inks, such as semiconducting transparent inks based on organic components, transparent inks based on conductive silver nanowires and semiconducting inks based on metal oxide nanoparticles lic.
Along these lines, “the impact of the innovations developed in sectors such as logistics and the Internet of Things is highlighted, as they allow responding to the current challenges of locating goods and consumption habits, as well as the reduction of electronic waste, eliminating the need to use batteries in smart objects“, says Cristina Casellas.
The MADRAS project is an initiative financed by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union and has a consortium made up of 12 partners from Spain (Eurecat, Eticas Research and Consulting, Tecnopackaging, UNE and Cooltra), France (Genesink, Fedrigoni and Paragon ID), Denmark (infinityPV), the Netherlands (TNO) and the Czech Republic (COC and the University of Pardubice).
